Workshops

Free online singing workshops!

The ‘Bringing Singing to the Community’ project has been funded by VicHealth and supports its aims of improving individual and social health. Singing as a group activity has been demonstrated to contribute to improved individual health and social connection.

With these workshops we hope to enable people in regional and remote areas, and anyone who can’t participate in a community choir because of their personal health, disability or financial circumstances, to access the benefits of group singing via the internet.

Whether you are a fledgling soprano who sings in the shower or a trained up tenor with a stellar performance history, we hope you will enjoy these workshops with Brunswick Women’s Choir and acclaimed choir director Cathy Nixon.

Videos, sheet music and audio files are all available.

Manubak Garra

This is a lullaby written for the choir by songwriter Lou Bennett in Yorta Yorta, the indigenous language of her ancestors. It is a beautiful example of her quest to keep the language alive and she is keen for it to be shared with all Australians. Lou features with the Brunswick Women’s Choir on the YouTube video.

This is a wonderful resource for those of us who are in choirs in remote areas and have difficulty getting to workshops etc. It seems to cover everything required for learning new material and is very user friendly. I hope that it leads to many more songs being available online that we can learn.
Thanks Brunswick Women’shoir for you efforts.

As a choir member (male and mixed choirs) of many years I have been invited by Helen Sampson (Bairnsdale) to comment on the BWC Workshop material.

Having enjoyed listening to Lou Bennett and her band presenting the 2009 Melbourne Millenium Chorus’ “Our Hope Our Land” production; it is pleasing to see her feature in the material chosen for your teaching program. In particular I

In my experience the use of demonstration video, and the provision of sheet music, is the simplest and most effective way of learning new material and rehearsing in isolation. This site achieves this purpose with excellent explanation and demonstration of both language and music score – very important when learning material in a different language. Clear and well sung part demonstrations are essential to this process, esp for inexperienced singers.

I have previously used audio tapes and You-tube video clips to great effect when learning Welsh and Asian choral material: this venture, I am sure, will be highly motivating to those women who enjoy singing and wish to participate in an ensemble, but are unable to do so physically.

Hi Brunswick Women’s Choir. I’ve always loved your music, and I was very excited about being able to access these workshops on the internet, as I lead a couple of community choirs that are always very interested in new and local content. However, while I can hear the audio clips clearly, I am totally unable to download any scores. Can you help me please, as I am extremely interested in Lou’s Manubak Garra? When I click on the PDF symbol, or the “openscore…” – all I get is a new window for your website with “Sorry, no posts matched your criteria” displayed as a message.
Help, Kass Mulvany 4 Castle Road, Warrandyte
“Sing Your Heart Out” and “Both Sides of the River”

I hope you received the scores I posted earlier this year. You might have seen on our website that BWC have two Melbourne concerts on Saturday 24 August before we go on tour and we will be performing Manubak Garra at these concerts. If you or any of your choir members would like to come, you can get all the details and book via the website or phone Mel on 0413 376 194. Unfortunately we have so far been unable to solve the problem of the workshop videos dropping off our website and when time and funds allow we may need to build a new website. If you do make it to our concerts come and say hello!

I have just started some singing workshops for new parents in Sydney. First one was last week and 12 mums and their babies came along and had a fabulous time. I’m searching for good, easy music for womens singing groups and was wondering if I could use these pieces? I was looking for a version of Summertime and stumbled accross your site. They are great arrangements! I would of course aknowledge the source.

Thank you for your message and sorry I didn’t get back to you much sooner! I am the one who checks these messages and I was on leave in Central Australia. BWC and Cathy are very happy for you to use these songs, that was our purpose in putting them on the website. Unfortunately, we have currently lost the videos of the workshops off the website due to technical problems that we have not yet solved. It would be great to hear how you get on with your group. I will pass on your message to Cathy too as she will be really pleased to hear about your work.

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A year to the day after we left on our tour, choir took us somewhere amazing right in our own fair city. At the Festival of Questions last night closing a fascinating conversation about gender, sex, class and race. We won't keep quiet!#FestivalofQuestions #guiltyfeminist #whatthehellthehandmaidstale ...

Aaaaand that's The Festival of Questions, done – closed by Brunswick Women's Choir after a fast-paced, intelligent and broad assessment of The Handmaid's Tale and what it says about the state of gender, sex, class and race today. Thanks to Deborah Frances-White, Jamila Rizvi, Celeste Liddle, Krissy Kneen, Quinn Eades and Lauren Duca for a great conversation.
We'll be sharing recordings of all our sessions today – plus some of your questions – very soon. Thanks for joining us at the festival!

Two weeks today! Have you decided on the afternoon or evening show yet? ...

We can't keep quiet: singing to let it out

October 28, 2017, 3:00pm - October 28, 2017, 3:30am

In our showcase concert for 2017, the choir will bring you on a musical journey that reflects the joys, sorrows and triumphs of life.
We’re excited to perform songs that will
will make you think, reflect, question and celebrate.
Join us as we sing for a better world - because we can't keep quiet!
Tickets
$25 Full
$18 Concession
$10 Kids under 15
Under 5 is free